What 5 Countries and 7 Months of Treatments Taught Me About Horses (and Their Humans)

This year I’ve had the honour of treating horses in five different countries — from elite performance athletes to therapy horses and rescues. And while their disciplines, backgrounds, and management systems varied massively… certain patterns repeated themselves.

Working across show jumping yards, riding schools, dressage barns, clinics, and even rural villages has opened my eyes to what’s really going on in the horse–human relationship.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

1. The love is deep — but so is the confusion.

Nearly every owner I met wanted the absolute best for their horse.They weren’t lazy or uninformed — they were frustrated. Stuck.They’d tried saddles, physio, teeth, injections, rest, training tweaks… and still, something wasn’t right.

Whether it was a behavioural issue (spooking, rearing, refusing), or something more subtle (tension through the poll, lack of topline, reluctance to bend) — they knew something was off… but didn’t know how to interpret it.

2. Resources aren’t everything.

I met brilliant horsemen and women with minimal facilities — and yet, their horses were thriving.They didn’t rely on high-tech gadgets or access to elite vets.Instead, they returned to nature: movement, grounding, feel. Simplicity.

On the other hand, I also met people with the best money could buy — but no clarity on how to use it.More resources didn’t always equal better outcomes. It came down to understanding and connection.

3. The horse often mirrors the rider.

This was the most consistent — and confronting — pattern I saw.Stiff horses partnered with stiff riders.Anxious horses with disconnected handlers.And more often than not, pain patterns in the horse led me to ask questions about the rider’s own health, confidence, and physical awareness.

7 months of constant travel meant I wasn’t in control of much — sleep, food, routine, even access to movement.But I kept one thing consistent: my own foundations.

Nutrition, movement, and nervous system regulation — what I call “brain gym” — helped me stay grounded.And I felt it… in the way I treated. In the way I rode again. In the way I recovered after long days on the road.

I’ve come a long way.And it’s shown me — again — that we can’t separate the horse from the human.

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